9/4/12 9:21 AM EDT

President Obama has called himself an underdog even since being elected and that's part of how he and his allies operate, Jarrett said at POLITICO's Playbook Breakfast. "We're used to being the underdogs. And even when we're not, we fight like we are because we can't take anything for granted because the stakes are so high."

Jarrett said she didn't watch the Republican National Convention, but from clips she saw on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," it appeared "kind of personal and focused more on the president" than on the Republican Party.

"It seems to me your goal should be focusing more on your roadmap for the future," she said. "That's certainly what the president intends to do."

Jarrett also reflected on the change in atmospherics from four years ago. The Democratic National Convention in Denver "was very aspirational," she said. "We were looking really to the future. And now the president has a very robust track record."